(Joshua Paladino, Headline USA) The American Bar Association has proposed that law schools stop requiring the Law School Admissions Test for new students in order to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, Legal Insurrection reported.
The ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar released its proposal to reduce law school admissions standards in December 2021, though the ABA will not vote on it until August.
The ABA has a monopoly on law-school accreditation, so universities will be forced to comply with these standards or else their students may not meet the requirements to become lawyers.
The new policy states that a law school “shall ensure the effective educational use of diversity” by granting full access to all applicants, “particularly members of underrepresented groups related to race and ethnicity.”
An earlier ABA policy demanded that law schools adhere to non-discrimination in admissions, but the new policy will mandate that schools admit more non-white, non-male, non-heterosexual, and non-Christian candidates.
The faculty and staff must include “members of underrepresented groups, particularly those related to race and ethnicity,” regardless of their qualifications.
Law schools must complete an “Annual Questionnaire” to document their compliance with the ABA’s anti-white policies.
The proposed policy names several “concrete actions” to contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including ongoing “education for faculty members regarding the effective use of diversity in the classroom.”
“Provision of mentoring opportunities for junior faculty members with particular focus on
promotion, tenure, and retention of faculty members from groups underrepresented in legal education,” the policy continues.
The ABA policy would force schools to reject merit-based education and tailor recruitment and financial aid to “underrepresented groups.”
Law schools must fit “recruitment outreach,” “initiatives” and “need-based” or “diversity scholarships” with the needs of prospective students or current students from underrepresented groups.
